The invention relates to a footrest designed to be installed between a part of a bulkhead and a floor of a motor vehicle, comprising a bearing wall designed to receive the foot or feet of a passenger of the motor vehicle and a sound insulation mat capable of extending opposite at least one part of said bearing wall and attached to the floor of the motor vehicle, said mat comprising an insulating layer interposed between the floor and a covering layer attached to said insulating layer, the bearing wall further comprising at least one storage compartment, the bearing wall comprising an internal face designed to be positioned opposite an external face of the covering layer during the installation of the footrest and the storage compartment extending between said internal face of the bearing face and the external face of the covering layer.
A footrest designed to be installed between a part of a bulkhead and a floor of a motor vehicle is disclosed in the unpublished patent application FR1159368, comprising a member serving as a support and provided with a bearing face designed to receive the foot or feet of a passenger of the motor vehicle and a sound insulation mat capable of extending opposite at least one part of said bearing wall and attached to the floor of the motor vehicle, said mat comprising an insulating layer interposed between the floor and a covering layer attached to said insulating layer, the member serving as a support further comprising at least one storage compartment for equipment used for the repair of tires of the vehicle, the bearing face comprising an internal face designed to be positioned opposite an external face of the covering layer during the installation of the footrest and the internal face being provided with connecting members designed to support the storage compartment such that the internal volume of the storage compartment extends between the internal face of the bearing face and the external face of the covering layer. The connecting members are provided so that once the footrest is removed the compartment is able to pivot, so that it is possible to access the equipment used for the repair of tyres.
However, this device has drawbacks.
The mobile part of the compartment is heavy as it needs to be very thick and to have a significant network of ribs in order to be sufficiently rigid to be able to support the objects which the compartment contains without yielding or without being broken. Moreover, the mobile elements tend to be more fragile during use than fixed elements (risk of damage to the hinges or clips for retaining the mobile part, for example).
Moreover, the storage and removal of the objects inside the compartment is not easy as the compartment tends to fall to one side or the other, depending on the objects already present in the compartment.